Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will on Monday visit the Kalininskaya Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the central Russian Tver Region north of Moscow to attend the launch of the plant’s fourth power unit, the government press service reported.
The Kalininskaya NPP is one of the largest energy producing facilities in central Russia. It provides electric power to eight regions.
The first and second power units were launched in the 1980s. The construction of the third and fourth units was frozen in early 1990s. The third unit was ultimately launched in 2004.
The construction of the fourth unit resumed in 2007. Today it is one of the key nuclear power industry facilities to be commissioned in 2011. Over 70 billion rubles ($2.2 billion) has been spent on the construction.
The new power unit will generate an additional 7 billion kWh of energy annually, increasing the NPP’s overall annual generation by 31%. The regional budget will additionally receive 433 million rubles ($13.8 million) in taxes. About 100 new jobs will be created.